Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), the South American rodent that can grow to 50 Kg (100 pounds), is also the largest rodent in the world, and is definitely not endangered, are showing up in increased numbers in Florida. How they originally came to the US is a bit murky, rumors include escaping from a private herd, released by owners, sneaking out of zoos, and even fleeing research facilities. While there’s no direct evidence that they are breeding in the wild, their increasing numbers have to be coming from somewhere and if they are they could become an ecologically disastrous invasive species for the southern US.
News Article:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/is-florida-about-to-be-swamped-with-capybara?trk_source=popular
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/08/29/capybara-florida
Podcast – WBUR – Hear & Now:
YouTube:
Scientific Article:
witmer etal 2014
